1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to the field of hand tools. More particularly, the invention pertains to a vise lock tool, which can be easily opened, closed and adjusted.
2. Description of Related Art
Vise locking tools are used often around the construction site, garages, and in the home. However, the tools currently on the market require a lot of adjustment, which is slow and repetitious.
Keehnold""s U. S. Pat. No. 14,243 discloses a wrench that has two handles. One of the handles has an end that is a jaw that has a crop bar attached, which forms a gage for the other jaw, the sliding jaw. There are grooves in the crop bar that serve to keep it from slipping. A pin, which connects the jaws together also helps with this. A small nut is screwed onto the end of the gage bar and specifically prevents the wrench from coming apart. The other handle is secured to the sliding jaw by a joint pin.
Ferguson""s U.S. Pat. No. 861,449 discloses a wrench that has a lower jaw containing teeth that are restricted by a beveled face and a square end.
Ratcliff""s U.S. Pat. No. 1,589,763 discloses a pipe wrench with one fixed jaw and one movable jaw that is held in place by a series of ratchet teeth. Plates are pivoted on opposite sides of the movable jaw, allowing movement.
Karlsen""s U.S. Pat. No. 1,673,077 discloses a wrench that has a movable jaw and fixed jaw. The movable jaw is held in position by a set-screw, which can be tightened. In order to make adjustments, the set-screw has to be loosened.
Viezzi""s U.S. Pat. No. 1,723,960, discloses a wrench with a fixed jaw and a movable jaw. The movable jaw is slidable on the shank toward the fixed jaw. An approximate adjustment of the movable jaw is obtained by laterally swinging the rack on its pivot by taking hold of the handle member to completely disengage the rack from the block.
Wetzler""s U.S. Pat. No. 2,339,897 discloses a clamp with a base that carries an upright member. The upright member has a groove extending lengthwise for combining with the base. The lower end of the upright member is threaded and passes loosely through the base, which is fixed on the upright member by a nut. The clamp also includes a bracket that is slidably mounted on the upright member. At the forked end of the bracket is bearing lugs that rest on and engage a bearing member slidably mounted on the upright member by a set screw. A releasable locking means locks the bearing member in place. The releasable locking means comprises a locking lever in a slot of a head forming part of the bearing member.
Neff""s U.S. Pat. No. 3,283,624 discloses a wrench that has a sliding jaw and fixed jaw. The body section of the wrench contains a rail. The rail retains the movable jaw on an open-sided channel, which projects downwardly from the jaw portion. The open side of the channel is narrower then the main portion of the channel and forms internal shoulders which encompass the rear surfaces of the rail and retain the jaw on the rail.
Bolton""s U.S. Pat. No. 3,914,830 discloses a G-clamp that has a fixed clamping face on one end of an elongated body member and further abutment face mounted on a slide member, which is movable along the body member. The face is movable relative to the slide member with the slide member being capable of being slid along the body member to give quick-setting of the initial space between the clamping and the abutment faces. Pressure on the abutment faces is effective in locking the slide member on the support member.
Richards""U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,297 discloses a locking ratchet wrench. The wrench has a main body with a handle that has a stationary jaw at one end and a slotted guideway extending through the stationary jaw. The movable jaw has ratchet teeth at its rear end is slidingly fitted in the guideway. A locking pawl block is retained for forward and rearward movement within the aperture. Locking teeth are present at the forward end that corresponds to the movable jaw ratchet teeth. Also present is a spring at the rear end of the locking pawl block, which urges it forward in the aperture. A movable handle is pivotally mounted on the main body and has the front sides slidingly received on each side of the aperture. The front sides are also movably connected to the locking pawl block to move it in and out of the toothed engagement with the movable jaw ratchet teeth. A jaw control spring is found between the movable jaw and the movable handle and applies upward pressure on the movable jaw to urge it toward the stationary jaw. In order for the jaws to be placed around a nut or a bolt, the movable handle is pivoted away from the handle portion and the locking pawl block teeth are disengaged from the movable jaw teeth.
Duffy""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,290 discloses an adjustable locking wrench. The wrench has a first handle member having a first jaw member lockable at a plurality of discretely spaced apart notches which a spring operated detent means that engages one of the notches to lock the shank of the first jaw member into place.
The present invention provides an adjustable vise locking tool comprising a first handle member pivotally attached to a lower jaw member having a guided slot extending through the first end of the lower jaw, which is made up of four mutually interconnected sides. The tool also includes an upper jaw member having an elongated shank that is slidingly mounted in the guide slot. The length of the elongated shank varies optionally, depending upon the situation. A stop is present on the bottom of the shank so that the upper jaw can not escape the guided slot during use of the tool. A second handle member is pivotally mounted to the lower jaw and optionally includes an internally-threaded cavity for an adjustment bolt. Also present on the second handle member is a releasable locking means, which includes a spring-operated detent means, which engages the teeth found on the elongated shank of the upper jaw.
The tool of the present invention is used to vise lock or grip objects together. The tool is specifically made so that a flick of the user""s wrist opens the jaw members to allow objects of all sizes to be vised. To grip/vise lock an object, the user flicks the wrist to open the jaws, then, the lower jaw member, more specifically the teeth located on the planar pads, are placed on the underside on the object, the user places pressure on the releasable locking means, causing the upper jaw member to fall onto the upper side of the object. The pressure on the releasable locking means is then let off and as the object is placed further into throat or space between the upper and lower jaw members, the lower jaw member is forced downward, causing the first handle member downward. Once the first handle member does not move any further downward, the object is now in a vise lock.